A man who suffered a serious spinal injury in a mountain bike accident has marked the 20th anniversary of the incident by visiting the air ambulance service that saved his life.
Cameron Wood, from Embleton, near Cockermouth, was just 16 years old when the life-changing accident occurred.
He was working full-time as a bike mechanic and regularly travelled around Britain to train or compete in downhill mountain bike races.
On October 11, 2004, Mr Wood and his teammate were riding their bikes in woods near Aspatria when the accident happened.
Mr Wood said: "There was nothing particularly challenging about the jumps, just the sort of things we'd done thousands of times before.
"With some shaped jumps, the smallest of things like your approach speed, or bodyweight position can make quite a big difference as you are kicked up into the air, and in this case I clearly got something wrong.
"I hit the ground shattering three vertebrae in my neck and badly damaged the spinal cord.
"I was really struggling to breathe as I had now lost the use of all the muscles that surround your lungs."
Both the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) responded to the scene.
Mr Wood was airlifted to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough and taken to the spinal injuries unit where he was put into a coma for 11 days.
He had his neck rebuilt and was mechanically ventilated for 10 weeks.
After months of rehab, he was eventually discharged from hospital and returned home approximately half a year after the incident happened.
He said: "I can't say it’s been easy, I've had to make a lot of adjustments to my life, from always being a very active lad either at work or just messing around, to suddenly losing all movement and sensation below my shoulders and having essentially no chance of ever regaining it again.
"It was a lot to try to come to terms with, it didn't happen overnight, but I think that you have to accept what's happened, try to stay positive and be grateful that things aren't any worse, and move on, don't dwell on the past."
In 2008, Mr Wood required the services of GNAAS again when he became seriously unwell at home with an infection and his blood pressure was getting dangerously high.
He was flown to James Cook University Hospital where he received urgent care from spinal cord injury specialists.
He said: "Spinal cord injuries are complex and not always fully understood by staff at general hospitals, so in some cases it can be vital to get to those specialist units for treatment.
"It’s not just the paralysis that's challenging, it's all the health issues that can come with a high-level spinal cord injury, so it’s always reassuring to know that GNAAS could be here for us when we most need it."
To mark the 20th anniversary of his incident, Mr Wood recently visited GNAAS’ base with his partner Kat Silver and his sons and they met some of the charity’s critical care team, who gave them a tour of their aircraft.
Mr Wood said: "I don't think everyone is aware that when they see the distinct white and green helicopters flying around and the critical care vehicles out and about, that it is all entirely funded through local donations and that's something the people of the North should be extremely proud of."
GNAAS needs to raise £9.3 million a year to remain operational and have launched a fundraising raffle with a top prize of £10,000.
To find out more and buy tickets visit their website or call 01325 487263.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here